What goes around comes around: novel pharmacological targets in the gut–brain axis

Abstract

The gut and the brain communicate bidirectionally through anatomic and humoral pathways, establishing what is known as the gut–brain axis. Therefore, interventions affecting one system will impact on the other, giving the opportunity to investigate and develop future therapeutic strategies that target both systems. Alterations in the gut–brain axis may arise as a consequence of changes in microbiota composition (dysbiosis), modifications in intestinal barrier function, impairment of enteric nervous system, unbalanced local immune response and exaggerated responses to stress, to mention a few. In this review we analyze and discuss several novel pharmacological targets within the gut–brain axis, with potential applications to improve intestinal and mental health.